CU Coaches Excited About Buff Back Taylor's Versatility
August 10, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In the first week of fall camp, Colorado's Davion Taylor has recorded a pass interception against the No. 1 defense, played well against the run and gotten to the quarterback with regularity.
In short, Taylor has been everywhere — which is exactly where the CU coaching staff wants him to be. Their only "problem" is figuring out how to best utilize his considerable athletic ability.
Technically CU's Buff back (a hybrid linebacker/safety), Taylor's role has expanded since the spring semester, when he enrolled at CU in time to participate in spring ball after playing his second season last fall at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Miss.
"Davion's a really talented guy," said CU passing game coordinator ShaDon Brown. "He's really fast. We bring him off the edge and he also is a guy that is fast enough and athletic enough to cover. We're doing some different things with him to utilize his skill sets. I think when you have a multi-talented kid you have to be creative as a coach and not handicap those guys in terms of their abilities. We're putting him in different positions so he can use his skill set to the best of his ability."
Taylor's skill set is indeed an impressive one. When Brown says Taylor is fast, he is not exaggerating — Taylor finished sixth in the Pac-12 championships 100-meter dash in the spring, and anchored CU's seventh-place 4x100 relay team. He is also 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and one of CU's top performers in the weight room.
It means he is fast enough to run with a wide receiver, running back or tight end in coverage, big enough to make tackles at the line of scrimmage, and fast enough and strong enough to come off the edge and get past a 300-pound offensive tackle when pursuing the quarterback.
"He's starting to get a really good feel for it," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He's so athletic, sometimes he makes up for a slight misalignment here or there with his athleticism. But he's getting there."
Taylor has embraced his multiple duties, even though it means extra time studying and learning different schemes and positions. His rapid adaptation is even more impressive when you figure that this fall will be just his third season of competitive football. He did not play in high school, and only began playing after walking on at Coahoma.
"I've been trying to adjust as fast as I can," Taylor said. "I had to learn the plays and execute my assignment much better, but I think I'm getting there."
Asked if the task has been overwhelming or enjoyable, Taylor laughed and said, "Both. When I first started, it was a little overwhelming, but now that I'm learning all the different plays, it's getting a little easier. The next step is to keep improving my technique in order to execute and make the play."
Taylor was one of the top-ranked junior college prospects in the country after a sophomore year at linebacker in which he was second on the team in tackles with 87, along with three pass breakups and an interception. He also won CCC's Scholar Athlete Award in 2017, compiling a 3.6 GPA.
At CU, he's playing what amounts to safety, linebacker and even a little rush end, meaning plenty of time studying the playbook and watching film.
He's proving to be a quick learner.
"I like studying the plays, learning new things," he said. "I can put new stuff in the back of my brain and recall it when I need it. I think I'm making some progress in that area."
Earlier this week in practice, Taylor recorded an interception when he drifted back into coverage and covered the route perfectly.
"That's how I know I'm learning the plays and improving my reactions," Taylor said. "I was looking at the quarterback's eyes and I played my assignment right. I had a hook (route), so I played my hook and just made the play."
As for coming off the edge and rushing the passer, Taylor said he can draw on his track background.
"Coming off the edge is just like coming out of the (starting) blocks," he said with a grin. "When they hike the ball, it's just like when the starting gun goes off."
Taylor's various duties means he works with as many as three different position coaches. That, Brown said, hasn't been a problem for Taylor.
"He's a great personality," Brown said. "He's easy to go to different coaches and work and be locked in."
PRACTICE REPORT: The Buffs spent Friday morning in light pads, getting some special teams work in early, then some individual and team drills later in preparation for Saturday's scrimmage in Folsom Field.
Head coach Mike MacIntyre said CU coaches will use Saturday's scrimmage to get a good look at younger players and newcomers who are battling for playing time. A handful of CU's veterans, meanwhile, may see just a handful of plays.
"A guy like (senior linebacker) Rick Gamboa for example, he'll just play a few plays and come out," MacIntyre said. "Kind of like a preseason game in pro football, but we don't have a lot of preseason games. We try to do some scrimmaging on our pad days here and there to catch all that up. (Saturday) We'll look at more of some of the younger guys or the guys we feel like are competing to start or play a tremendous amount." …
CU's coaches will take their "game-day" places during the scrimmage, with the coordinators upstairs in the press box calling plays. This will be the first year for co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini calling plays, and he will make the move from the field to the press box. …
MacIntyre also said sophomore Ronnie Blackmon, who handled punt returns at the end of the year last year, will probably be the first option this year. Blackmon is listed ahead of senior Jay MacIntyre on the latest depth chart, and is also listed as a kick returner along with K.D. Nixon. …
Gates to Folsom Field will open at 9 a.m., with the practice set to begin at about 9:30 a.m. and the scrimmage portion at 10:30 a.m. The scrimmage will also serve as a Select-a-Seat event, with fans getting the opportunity to watch live action from the best seat locations still available for purchase. Those interested in Select-A-Seat can go to https://buffs.me/2M8Eb1l and fill out an RSVP form.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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